As I write this, no motive has come to light for the assassination of Sir David Amess. Sir David was attacked in the bluest of Conservative areas, the town of Leigh-on-Sea in his constituency.
As a keen watcher of Parliament TV I was alternately enraged and amused (sometimes at the same time) but always stimulated by Sir David's regular contributions, first as member for Basildon and then for Southend West. There was no doubt about his advocacy for his constituency and, as tributes broadcast by BBC and others have confirmed, he was an assiduous constituency member. An unrepentant Thatcherite, he was nonetheless respected across the aisle and contributed to many cross-party campaigns. He was what all back-bench MPs should aspire to be. Parliament has been robbed by a senseless act of violence.
With the murder of Jo Cox in mind, it may seem that violence against MPs has increased, but I recall the January 2000 samurai sword attack on Nigel Jones, which also took the life of a local councillor, and the attempt on the life of Stephen Timms in 2010. Both were clearly the actions of mentally-disturbed individuals and one suspects that will be the case in this latest incident.
What I am saying is that there should be no rush to respond with repressive measures, though our leaders and political activists should curb inflammatory language and generally reduce the climate of hostility towards our elected representative. Nothing should be done which would prevent contact between a member of parliament and his constituents.
Perhaps a lasting tribute to Sir David would be to finally grant city status to Southend, the campaign he was most associated with.
[Last two paragraphs updated 2021-10-16 05:30]
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